Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Every free agent with Parcells/Ireland history

I've put together what I think will be an interesting and handy list of players come free agency. Unless I accidentally missed someone, this is a list of every NFL team's free agents that has a history with Bill Parcells and/or Jeff Ireland.

Why is this important? Well as we all know, Parcells likes guys he is familiar with. It's certainly no coincidence of the four guys he's signed this offseason - Matt Baker, Junior Glymph, Trey Darilek and Joey Thomas - all had histories with either him and/or Ireland in Dallas.

A few things to note with this list though. First of all, I included every player that had a history with Parcells or Ireland, no matter how long ago or brief it may have been. This means that some of the players on this list will not be on Miami's radar at all. That's why I've rated each player on a scale of 1 to 10 on how interested I think the Dolphins will be in said player. 1 is obviously no interest, while 5 is moderate/possible interest and 10 is heavy interest. You can figure out the stuff in between. Enjoy!

Flozell Adams, 31, offensive tackle, Cowboys - played for the Cowboys during the entire tenures of Parcells (2003-2006) and Ireland (2001-2007).Dolphins' interest? 10/10. The Dolphins are guaranteed to be interested in Adams, whom the Cowboys will let hit the open market. Signing Adams would give Miami a reliable left tackle for the next 4-5 years and allow them to move Vernon Carey back to right tackle where he's best suited.

Larry Allen, 36, guard, 49ers - played three seasons under Parcells in Dallas from 2003 to 2005; Also present during Ireland's first two years there in 2001 and 2002.Dolphins' interest? 7/10. Allen is expected to retire, but that doesn't mean the Dolphins won't try to convince him to hold off on it. Miami needs help at guard desperately and Allen would provide a solid starter for a year.

Rocky Boiman, 28, linebacker, Colts - signed by Parcells-led Cowboys in 2006 as a free agent, but did not make the team out of camp.Dolphins' interest? 7/10. Although Boiman didn't make the team in 2006, the Cowboys had a lot of talent at linebacker and the team at least thought he'd fit the defense when they signed him. Would be far more likely to make the team over Edmond Miles or Kelvin Smith.

Troy Brown, 36, wide receiver, Patriots - drafted by Parcells-led Patriots in 1993; played all four seasons of Parcells' tenure in New England.Dolphins' interest? 1/10. Brown is clearly at the end of his road and likely won't attract attention from other teams. Miami needs experience at receiver but there will be plenty of better alternatives out there.

Tedy Bruschi, 34, linebacker, Patriots - drafted by Parcells-led Patriots in 1996 and played one season under him.Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Bruschi is getting up there in years, but Miami could use another veteran inside linebacker to team with Channing Crowder and this guy has plenty of 3-4 experience. A younger guy would be ideal, but getting Bruschi on a two-year deal would be more than sufficient.

Aveion Cason, 28, running back, Lions -played one season for Parcells-led Cowboys in 2003.Dolphins' interest? 3/10. Cason had some success in a reserve role for Dallas in 2003, but he's nothing special and Miami is pretty deep at running back. He could be brought in to compete for a backup job.

Terrance Copper, 25, wide receiver, Saints - signed as an undrafted free agent by Parcells in 2004 and played two seasons under him with Cowboys.Dolphins' interest?7/10. With 56 games played, the 25-year-old Copper would still be the most experienced receiver on the Dolphins' roster. He's got some talent, would come fairly cheap and could push for the No. 3 or 4 job.

Keith Davis, 29, safety, Cowboys - Davis was present for Parcells' entire Dallas tenure from 2003 to 2006 and was also there in 2007 with Ireland; also played for various Dolphins defensive assistants.Dolphins' interest? 8/10. Parcells and Ireland have plenty of experience with Davis and the Dolphins are lacking at safety. Davis would be a fairly inexpensive signing, and he'd compete for a starting job and be a strong special teams player at worst.

Ebenezer Ekuban, 31, defensive end, Broncos - played for Parcells-led Cowboys in 2003.Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Ekuban left Dallas after 2003 because he did not fit the 3-4 scheme. Nothing's changed on that front, so don't expect Parcells' interest to have changed either.Jason Fabini, 33, offensive lineman, Redskins - Drafted by Parcells in the first round in 1998 and played two seasons under him with the Jets; also played for Cowboys in 2006 under Parcells.Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Fabini isn't the player he once was and isn't anything more than a veteran backup at this point. However, Miami lacks any veteran backups on the offensive line and Fabini would be an inexpensive pickup that could provide depth at both guard and tackle.

Aaron Glenn, 35, cornerback, Jaguars - Played for Jets during all three years of Parcells' tenure from 1997 to 1999; also played for Parcells and Ireland in Dallas from 2005 to 2006.Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Miami is lacking at the corner position behind Will Allen. Parcells has plenty of experience with Glenn and although he's not starter material anymore, he'd provide solid veteran depth for our secondary.

Bobby Hamilton, 36, defensive end, Browns - played for Jets during all three seasons of Parcells' tenure from 1997 to 1999.Dolphins' interest? 7/10. Hamilton's near the end of his career and is not starter material, but he has plenty of 3-4 end experience and would be a great backup on the Dolphins' defense that lacks the right personnel in most areas.

Ken Hamlin, 27, safety, Cowboys - Signed by Cowboys in 2007 with Ireland in the front office; also played for various Dolphins defensive assistants.Dolphins' interest? 9/10. Hamlin is a talented player at a position the Dolphins are sorely lacking. He'd be a huge boost for the secondary and had a career-high five interceptions for Dallas in 2004.

Nathan Jones, 25, cornerback, Cowboys - drafted by Parcells-led Cowboys in 2004 and played three seasons for him; also played for Ireland and various defensive assistants in 2007.Dolphins' interest? 8/10. Jones is a solid backup corner and would come at a cheap price. He'd compete for a nickel or dime job in Miami.

ReShard Lee, 27, running back, Raiders - signed by Parcells-led Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2004 and played one season for Cowboys.Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Miami is set at running back and Lee would have a hard time making anyone's roster.

Matt Lehr, 28, offensive lineman, Buccaneers - played one season for Parcells-led Cowboys in 2003.Dolphins' interest? 3/10. Lehr has value as a backup at center and guard, but he's been let go by Parcells once and the Cowboys never showed interest the two times he's been on the market since.

Jacques Reeves, 25, cornerback, Cowboys - drafted by Parcells-led Cowboys in 2004 and played three seasons for him; also played for Ireland and various defensive assistants in 2007.Dolphins' interest: 9/10. Reeves is a talent player that could be a third or fourth corner in Miami. The Dolphins will likely have a strong interest in him and he shouldn't be expensive to bring in.Jeff Robinson, 38, long snapper, Seahawks - played two seasons for Parcells-led Cowboys from 2003 to 2004; also present in 2002 with Ireland.Dolphins' interest? 3/10. Miami has no long snappers on the roster and this is least one Parcells and Ireland are familiar with. However, Robinson went unsigned the entire 2006 season and is nearly finished, so the Dolphins might look for a younger guy at the position.

Sean Ryan, 27, tight end, Jets - drafted by Parcells-led Cowboys in fifth round of 2004; played two seasons under Parcells before being traded to the Jets in August 2006.Dolphins' interest? 9/10. Parcells obviously liked him during his two years, and just because he was traded doesn't mean Ireland didn't either. Dallas simply had two starting-caliber tight ends (Witten and Fasano) and saw an opportunity to get draft picks for a backup. But the Dolphins are severely lacking at tight end so it wouldn't be surprising if he were brought in to compete.

Omar Stoutmire, 33, safety, Redskins -Played one season for Parcells-led Jets in 1999.Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Stoutmire has just a little history with Parcells, and the Dolphins will likely look elsewhere for backup safety help.

Vinny Testaverde, 44, quarterback, Panthers - played two seasons for Parcells-led Jets from 1998 to 1999; also played one season for him in 2004.Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Testaverde is almost guaranteed to retire, but then again he was "retired" before last season too. He'd be an absolute last resort for the Dolphins, who will probably be able to pick up a better veteran.Tyson Walter, 29, offensive lineman, Packers - played two seasons for Parcells-led Cowboys from 2003 to 2004; Tony Sparano was also his offensive line coach both those years.Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Walter has experience at all the offensive line positions and would provide an experienced backup.

Casey Wiegmann, 34, center, Chiefs - played one season for Parcells-led Jets in 1997.Dolphins' interest? 1/10. Wiegmann had minor experience with Parcells for one season ten years ago, so there isn't much there. Also, Wiegmann is very undersized for Parcells' taste and the Dolphins don't need a center anyway.